Page 1 of Fractured Souls
Prologue
LORCAN
Stumbling slightly,I propped myself up against the nearest wall, the world spinning around me and making my stomach turn. A dull thudding in the back of my head warned me that a violent star call was waiting for me right beyond this odd state of limbo I floated in. I knew the only reason I wasn’t experiencing it was because I was high. I’d never been so damn thankful for that.
Except…I didn’t know what I’d taken or when.
I didn’t even know why I was here or where ‘here’ was. The house we were in was absolutely packed, none of the hallways recognizable. People shoved into me and music shook the walls as I trailed forward, hoping to come across a quieter space. Somewhere I could just breathe and think.
A sudden wave slammed into me, making my vision spot and then turn into a kaleidoscope of colors. I whimpered as I felt my knees break, and I face-planted right onto the hard floor. Someone laughed nearby, and I laid there for what felt like hours, existing in a weird state of frozen transcendence.
It had probably only been minutes. No matter how strong the drug, there wasn’t anything that could capture me for longer than a half an hour. When I finally managed to move my head to the side, I tried to push myself to sit up. Once again, no one around me moved to help.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure they even knew I was here, which would have been surprising—if I didn’t know how drunk and high they were. Their desires were tainted and dark, far darker than they probably were consciously aware. That was more than often the case with humans.
“Lorcan?”
That was my brother’s voice.I eagerly looked for him, relieved when he crouched down in front of me. He didn’t look much better than myself, his eyes dazed and his lip split open.
“Shit.” He frowned, and even with his help, I stumbled to stand in my stilettos. “Are you okay? Your nose looks busted.”
Wonderful.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Let’s…let’s get out of here.” I didn’t even particularly like the girl throwing this party—someone I’d met at IME. It was a Tuesday night, though, and this was the only party we’d heard about…
When you’re desperate, you’re desperate.
We made our way down the stairs and towards the open front door, and the minute we stepped into the foggy evening air, I let out a long sigh of relief. It wasn’t enough to clear my head but enough that I could figure out which direction we needed to walk to get home.
The silence was heavy between the two of us. While we had partied almost every night the past month, tonight felt different. It felt sadder. More bleak. Tears welled in my eyes as Cormac squeezed my hand in silent understanding.
“Maybe we should get out of the country,” he suggested.
I untied my jacket around my waist and pulled it over my bare shoulders, trying to fight the chill. “Where would we go?”
“Europe? I don’t know,” he breathed out. “But being in California, so close to home…I just can’t do it.”
“But I can’t leave,” I murmured, more to myself than anything.
It was the truth. I may not be able to be with the Reid brothers, or even Desi and Adriel, but the idea of being even further separated from them caused my heart and body to seize up with unease. I wanted to be close to them.
You’d think that after a year away, I would have gotten over that. Especially since I knew they would want absolutely nothing to do with me. I didn’t blame them.
Ididn’t even want anything to do with me.
“You miss them,” Cormac stated, a dull tone to his voice.
“I do,” I said, resigned. “I shouldn’t, but I do.”
And I knew why—because my heart was broken.
My soul fractured.
CHAPTER1
Cash
I couldn’t getto my mate. I was frozen in place, watching in horror at the pure agony that blossomed across Lorcan’s face. Her body seized up, and a scream left her throat that had the entire ballroom looking at her.
